Please note: Classes are always on a Monday night, usually from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. Classes will not always be in the same room. They will either be in Special Collections near the back of the first floor or in the ITTC (aka the computer training center) on the second floor. Check each class below for its location. Registration is required and will usually start at the beginning of the month before the class is being offered. Call a reference desk at 617-796-1380 to register. Also clicking on the title of the first two classes below should also get you to the registration form.

Description: When people start going online to research their family history, the first documents they usually come across are the United States census (generated by the federal government) and birth, marriage, and death records (generated locally). I will discuss these documents in the context of computer-driven research. Some records can be used as proof of a relationship. Others are only signposts toward more reliable information. Tips relating to online research in general will also be incorporated. Registration is open now. (Limit: 12) You can register by clicking title above. (Limit: 12)

Description: Typically, you begin your family research with the resources closest to you, including your public library. But you shouldn’t stop there. This class is about tracking your ancestors in the towns and cities, counties and states where they actually lived. Here is where fresh discoveries are made, obstacles are broken down, and wonderful stories can be discovered. How do you track down digitized collections, special records, newspaper articles, books, and/or manuscripts that have been generated locally about people, families, and events in that community? I will discuss how to uncover online the resources available in places you’ve never visited. You will learn how to find libraries and history and genealogy societies relevant to the communities you are researching. You may discover relatives still living there, perhaps some you know nothing about and who may be working on a parallel track in a genealogy quest of their own. Eventually you may decide that there are places you want to actually visit. As you identify the localities you need to search, the focus and the scope of your project may shift and expand — prepare yourself for surprises. Registration is now open. (Limit: 15)

Class: Brick Wall Genealogy

Date: 18 December 2017
Room: Special Collections
Time: 7:00-8:30 pm

Description: The further back you go in your family research, the more “brick walls” you are going to hit. A brick wall is anything that keeps you from finding the information you need to connect with an ancestor, that prevents you from reaching back to another generation. Who builds these walls? Often, we do ourselves. This class will be about how we build them and how we might be able to go under, around, over, or through them. Often the bricks are made of our assumptions and our inexperience. Join me and let’s discover what we can do about this. Trust me. I’m an expert at inadvertently laying bricks, then demolishing them. Registration will be open at the beginning of November. (Limit 15)

I would normally be posting the day’s schedule beneath this poster here on the blog. This time I am posting just the link. I noticed that on the far right of each event listed there is a space for a link to Presentation Materials and Handouts that you can download. There is nothing there at the moment and may not be until we get closer to the date of the fair. I don’t want you to miss them, so here is the link you can save and check periodically. https://www.archives.gov/calendar/genealogy-fair/2017/schedule-handouts Posted handouts are useful even when you can’t attend an event. If you are interested in a particular presentation and can’t watch it on the 25th, check the archives site later. Often these are posted so people can access them after the event is over.

]]>https://thecuriousgenealogist.wordpress.com/2017/09/30/2017-national-archives-virtual-genealogy-fair-on-october-25th/feed/0thecuriousgenealogistJ. L. Bell to Speak at the Newton Free Library on Tuesday, July 11th at 7:00 pm in Druker Auditoriumhttps://thecuriousgenealogist.wordpress.com/2017/07/06/j-l-bell-to-speak-at-the-newton-free-library-on-tuesday-july-11th-at-700-pm-in-druker-auditorium/
https://thecuriousgenealogist.wordpress.com/2017/07/06/j-l-bell-to-speak-at-the-newton-free-library-on-tuesday-july-11th-at-700-pm-in-druker-auditorium/#respondThu, 06 Jul 2017 14:53:16 +0000http://thecuriousgenealogist.wordpress.com/?p=2243]]>In September 1774 the farmers of Middlesex County rose up and ended royal government in most of Massachusetts. For the next seven months, Patriot activists and the British governor raced to seize artillery. Cannon disappeared from ships, shore batteries and even armories under redcoat guard. In Newton, citizens voted to form their own artillery company. Join John Bell, author of The Road to Concord, as he uncovers the hidden history that led to the Revolutionary War. The program is cosponsored by Historic Newton. A book signing will follow. [From the Newton Free Library’s online Calendar of Events.]

From the publisher ofThe Road to Concord:

“Here is the suspenseful story of how a handful of mechanics in 1774 smuggled Boston’s brass cannon out of town from under the noses of the British troops. J. L. Bell is a historical detective par excellence who has recovered an important, little-known episode of the onset of the American Revolution.” —Alfred F. Young, author The Shoemaker and the Tea Party: Memory and the American Revolution

“In this well-researched narrative, Mr. Bell provides an interesting twist on the usual account of the British march to Concord on April 18-19, 1775. Mr. Bell’s retelling of the story from the point of view of missing cannon demonstrates in a compelling and convincing manner why General Gage was especially anxious that his troops reach Concord.”—Patrick M. Leehey, Research Director, Paul Revere House, Boston

In the early spring of 1775, on a farm in Concord, Massachusetts, British army spies located four brass cannon belonging to Boston’s colonial militia that had gone missing months before. British general Thomas Gage had been searching for them, both to stymie New England’s growing rebellion and to erase the embarrassment of having let cannon disappear from armories under redcoat guard. Anxious to regain those weapons, he drew up plans for his troops to march nineteen miles into unfriendly territory. The Massachusetts Patriots, meanwhile, prepared to thwart the general’s mission. There was one goal Gage and his enemies shared: for different reasons, they all wanted to keep the stolen cannon as secret as possible. Both sides succeeded well enough that the full story has never appeared until now.

The Road to Concord: How Four Stolen Cannon Ignited the Revolutionary War by historian J. L. Bell reveals a new dimension to the start of America’s War for Independence by tracing the spark of its first battle back to little-known events beginning in September 1774. The author relates how radical Patriots secured those four cannon and smuggled them out of Boston, and how Gage sent out spies and search parties to track them down. Drawing on archives in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada, the book creates a lively, original, and deeply documented picture of a society perched on the brink of war.

J. L. BELL is the proprietor of Boston1775.net, a popular website dedicated to the history of the American Revolution in New England. A Fellow of the Massachusetts Historical Society and American Antiquarian Society, he is author of the National Park Service’s study of George Washington’s work in Cambridge, and has delivered papers to the Massachusetts Historical Society, the Organization of American Historians, and historic sites around greater Boston.

From The Curious Genealogist: Take a minute to click on the link to Bell’s blog Boston 1775 in green directly above. If you have any interest in history or Boston, you’ll probably be staying far longer than a minute. It will be time well spent.

Family historians and genealogists–declare your independence from an incomplete family tree! Search and browse the 1.4 BILLION records on AmericanAncestors.org, the award-winning NEHGS website.

These databases include vital records (state, church, cemetery, and more), U.S. census records, genealogical journal articles, probate records, and other collections that can help advance your research. Already a Guest Member of NEHGS? Your password is your passport to freedom–and to many new discoveries. NEHGS members can share this special offer with family and friends and invite them to join the celebration.

Visit our website from 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on Thursday, June 29, through 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday, July 6, for access to all AmericanAncestors.org databases–with only a Guest Registration. Questions? Contact us!

When approved by priesthood leaders, centers may continue to maintain microfilm collections already on loan from FamilySearch after microfilm ordering ends. Centers have the option to return microfilm that is available online or otherwise not needed. As more images are published online, centers may reevaluate whether to retain microfilm holdings.

]]>https://thecuriousgenealogist.wordpress.com/2017/06/26/familysearch-to-discontinue-its-microfilm-distribution-service/feed/0thecuriousgenealogistHigh School Yearbooks as a Genealogical Resourcehttps://thecuriousgenealogist.wordpress.com/2017/06/13/high-school-yearbooks-as-a-genealogical-resource/
https://thecuriousgenealogist.wordpress.com/2017/06/13/high-school-yearbooks-as-a-genealogical-resource/#respondWed, 14 Jun 2017 00:11:23 +0000http://thecuriousgenealogist.wordpress.com/?p=2174]]>Yearbooks and How They Can Be Used

Part of Newton Free Library’s Collection of Yearbooks

Most of us are familiar with high school yearbooks. We probably have at least one from our own senior year. They may be filled with signed comments from our fellow graduates, some funny, some not so much. … Going through them brings back all sorts of memories and can spark stories. You may have tucked graduation programs and other loose mementos into it that were important to you. Collections of high school yearbooks in public libraries are potent resources that are used often and for various purposes. They can be consulted by reporters for news stories, checked by people writing biographies, searched by people looking for pictures of their parents or grandparents or for birth parents whom they have never seen.

One Special Yearbook

The yearbook with its acid-free archival case.

What is it that sparks my current focus on yearbooks? A local high school is making available to our library whatever yearbooks we need or would like to add to our collections. A member of our reference staff, Kim Hewitt, is working with materials in our Special Collections room. In this capacity she visited the high school library to take a look at what it has. When Kim checked a copy of one 1937 Newtonian yearbook for loose ephemera, she discovered something extraordinary. Someone had kept clippings about the graduates, especially those who served in World War II. On almost every page there were tipped-in newspaper articles about graduates pictured on that page, usually stories about their military service. Some described their current activities overseas. Some were death notices. The articles span events and battles over a number of years. Personal milestones, such as marriages, are the subject of other clippings. In short, it is a genealogist’s gold mine of information.

If something has been “tipped in,” it means you can lift the material and see what’s underneath.

This yearbook has now become a part of Newton’s Special Collections. If you have a relative who graduated from Newton High School in 1937, it’s worth a look. If you are interested, its catalog title is “Newton High School Class of 1937 and World War II.” The call number is N 373.34 N38M. Clicking on the preceding title will take you directly to its entry in our online catalog. It does not circulate and must be used within the library.

Compact Shelving with one opening. If you want to get into the first bay on the far left, all the other bays have to be moved forward.

A Note about Compact Shelving and Viewing Material from Newton’s Special Collections

Since the 1937 yearbook mentioned above is so unique and also fragile, it will be kept in what is known as compact shelving, not on the open Special Collection shelving. Using compact shelving saves a great deal of space but requires the movement of heavy shelving electronically. Newton’s compact shelving is run by machinery that is old and can be somewhat cranky. It needs two people to open it to retrieve material kept there. If you are thinking of coming in to look at this item, or other collections from compact shelving, it would help if you let us know in advance. If we know when you are coming, we can pull material for you ahead of time.

Actually it’s always a good idea to plan ahead with any library you are visiting. Check in advance for any special restrictions or rules for viewing or copying fragile or unique material. What are the library’s hours? Do they change depending on the season? Will the library be closed due to construction or maintenance during the period you are planning on coming? Are all its collections on site or does it need time to retrieve them from offsite storage? Whenever you request an item from a library, having its name and call number will speed up the process. Any library should allow you to search its online catalog, no matter where you live.

You and Your Own Family’s Yearbooks

Do you know if your family members, especially aunts, uncles, and grandparents, have yearbooks they would be willing to show to you? They might even share memories of their high school years and their friends. Don’t forget that many local libraries actively collect and also accept gifts of high school yearbooks. Each one that has been owned by a graduate has unique inscriptions by classmates and some may have the owner’s own notations. Public libraries located near where your relatives or ancestors lived may have their own such treasure troves from their local schools. Some may even have been given to them by your relatives or their friends. It’s worth checking. While you’re at it, don’t forget to look in your own attic, basement, or bookcase. Do you have your parents’ or grandparents’ yearbooks? You might want to take a closer look at them. You never know when you’ll strike unexpected gold. And if you find them in the basement or attic, you might want to move them to a bookcase on your main floor. They’ll last longer.

]]>https://thecuriousgenealogist.wordpress.com/2017/06/13/high-school-yearbooks-as-a-genealogical-resource/feed/0thecuriousgenealogistOn 6 April 1917 The United States Enters the World Warhttps://thecuriousgenealogist.wordpress.com/2017/04/06/on-6-april-1917-the-united-states-enters-the-world-war/
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1917 “Somewhere in France” 1918, from the Diorama at The War Memorial, Newton City Hall, Newton, Massachusetts

The following links are offered to help you find more information on the war that changed the world.

Not sure if you have Civil War ancestors? Use these questions to help identify ancestors who may have served:

Were any of my male ancestors born between 1820 and 1845? (Men who served during the Civil War may have been born outside these dates, but many fell within these years.)

Do I have any family memorabilia or artifacts (such as letters, weapons, medals, or photos) that hint at possible Civil War service? What about their tombstone? Does it have any insignia or other military symbols on it?

Do any of the records or documents (such as obituaries) I’ve already found for an individual mention Civil War service?

Have I checked the 1910 Census entry for my ancestor? (Column 30 of the census identified if an individual was “a survivor of the Union or Confederate Army or Navy.”)

Can’t find your Civil War ancestor on Fold3? You can still use Fold3 to learn about what your ancestor’s military service may have been like. Here are a few ideas, though the possible uses of the Civil War Collection are endless!

Use the Brady and Civil War photo collections, as well as the Civil War Horse Soldier Artifacts Collection, to learn what life was like for soldiers during the war, including what uniforms and firearms were common, what military camps and headquarters were like, what battlefields and forts looked like, etc.

Look through the Service Records and “Widows’ Pensions” of men who were in the same company, regiment, etc., as your ancestor to learn more about what battles he may have been involved in and the movements of his unit.

If you have Confederate ancestors, explore the Confederate Casualty Reports for your ancestor’s unit to learn about casualty rates and even read narrative reports of actions your ancestor may have been involved in.

The following is from Susan Laura Lugo, Territorial Archivist, DPNR/Division of Libraries, Archives and Museums, U.S. Virgin Islands.

I am very pleased to announce the March 1, 2017, official launch of the searchable Web site by the Danish National Archives in commemoration of the March 31, 2017, Centennial observance of Transfer Day, the day on which the Danish West Indies were transferred to the United States of America as the Territory of the Virgin Islands of the United States.

All researchers everywhere now have free, online access to over 5 million scanned images (over 8.5 million pages) of original documents, maps and drawings from the records of the Danish West Indies held by the Danish National Archives.

Scroll down on the landing page to make use of the excellent search tips and guides provided before entering your search terms.

The Danish National Archives’ Web site, search guides and finding aids will also be linked this month from the Facebook page for the “VI Public Libraries DPNR” and from the Territorial Archives web page on www.virginislandspubliclibraries.org/archives.asp.

The Territorial Archives within the Division of Libraries, Archives and Museums of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources of the Government of the Virgin Islands of the United States expresses its sincere thanks and gratitude to the Danish National Archives, the Danish Ministry of Culture, and A.P. Møller and Chastine Mc-Kinney Møller Foundation for General Purposes for supporting and carrying out this important digitization project to restore to the people of the Virgin Islands their Danish West Indian history and cultural heritage.

When I emailed her for permission to post this on my blog, she also added the following information:

NARA [the National Archives and Records Administration of the United States] has about 4.0 million pages (2,313 cf) of material in RG55 from the Danish West Indian era (see the finding aid at: http://www.virgin-islands-history.dk/nara/danmark1.pdf), and we still have some DWI records in the Territory (about 1,000 lf). Our hope is to provide access to ALL the records held across the US/DK/VI so that our history may be unified for the first time in over 100 years.

Note on picture: It is from the Record Series Copybooks of Letters Sent to the King in the Danish West Indies Collection mentioned above.

]]>https://thecuriousgenealogist.wordpress.com/2017/03/10/u-s-virgin-islands-danish-national-archives-launches-8-5-million-pages-of-historical-documents/feed/0thecuriousgenealogist“Who Do You Think You Are” is Back March 5th — This Sunday!https://thecuriousgenealogist.wordpress.com/2017/03/03/who-do-you-think-you-are-is-back-march-5th-this-sunday/
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The season premieres this Sunday, March 5th at 10/9c on TLC.

TLC/Ancestry have announced the following list of people who are covered this season and hint at what they discover.

The show follows the emotional journey as they trace their lineage and find answers to long-standing questions.

Jessica Biel makes two shocking discoveries that shake everything she knows about her heritage to the core.

Julie Bowen uncovers the story of two relatives whose moral codes are from opposite ends of the spectrum.

Courteney Cox traces her maternal line back seven centuries to the Medieval times to discover royalty in her lineage and an unbelievable tale of family drama.

Jennifer Grey uncovers new information about the grandfather she thought she knew, learning how he survived adversity to become a beacon of his community.

Smokey Robinson searches for answers behind the mystery of why his grandfather disappeared from his children’s lives and finds a man tangled in a swirl of controversy.

John Stamos digs into the mystery of how his grandfather became an orphan, and learns of tensions between families that led to a horrible crime.

Liv Tyler learns that her family is tied into the complicated racial narrative of America.

Noah Wyle unravels the mystery of his maternal line, uncovering an ancestor who survived one of America’s bloodiest battles. via TLC